This carrot cake baked oatmeal is everyone’s favorite cake, done up for breakfast! It’s a hearty way to start the day.
Looking for a fun breakfast idea? Try carrot cake baked oatmeal! Here’s everyone’s favorite cake dressed up as a wholesome way to start the day. It’s cozy and comforting, flecked with orange carrots and flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Steel cut oats add heartiness, and it’s seriously simple to throw together and eat off a pan all week. This one’s a favorite of ours: especially in the spring! Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients in carrot cake baked oatmeal
This carrot cake baked oatmeal has a twist: it’s make with steel cut oats instead of rolled oats! It’s a spin on our favorite pumpkin pie baked oatmeal, with carrots and cozy spices instead. Best of all, it’s an idea brought to us by a reader, Heather! She let us know that she makes our pumpkin oatmeal all the time and she even created a few other “flavors”: one of which was carrot cake. We knew we needed to try it out, and it’s become a big favorite around here. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Carrots
- Raw steel cut oats (do not use rolled oats; see below
- Olive oil
- Egg
- 2% milk
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
- Baking powder and salt
- Pecan pieces
Steel cut oats vs rolled oats
This carrot cake baked oatmeal uses steel cut oats, not rolled oats. What’s the difference?
- Steel cut oats are whole grain oats that are cut into nubs: the grains look like brown rice or barley.
- Rolled oats are oat groats that are rolled through steel rollers: this gives them a flat shape and makes them much quicker to cook. Both varieties have very similar nutritional profiles: lots of protein and fiber to start your day! See Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats.
- Don’t substitute rolled oats here! The recipe is designed for steel cut oats, so the liquid quantities and bake time don’t work for rolled oats.
It takes 1 hour, but leftovers save well
This carrot cake baked oatmeal takes 1 hour start to finish, but most of the time is hands off while the oatmeal bakes. However, the leftovers save well and make for a healthy breakfast recipe that lasts throughout the week. It saves well in the refrigerator, and you can eat it cold or room temp: no reheating necessary! If you’d like, you can heat it in the oven or microwave.
More carrot recipes
Got leftover carrots? Here are some more carrot recipes to use up a bunch!
This carrot cake baked oatmeal recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For dairy-free, use almond milk.
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Description
There’s nothing cozier than baked oatmeal! This baked steel cut oatmeal is carrot cake flavored, with cozy spices and pecans.
- 3 large carrots (1 ½ cups grated)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg (or flax egg for vegan)
- 2 cups 2% milk (or oat or almond milk)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup raw steel cut oats (do not use rolled oats)
- ⅓ cup pecan pieces
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.
- Peel and finely grate the carrots, enough for 1 ½ cups.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg, milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and kosher salt. Pour into the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Stir in the steel cut oats.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, then mix in carrots and spread them around evenly. Cover the pan loosely with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil then sprinkle with pecans. Bake another 30 to 35 minutes until set. Serve warm, or refrigerate and eat leftovers for several days. (Note: This baked steel cut oatmeal is best warm or room temperature. Leftovers store well and can be reheated. To make it ahead, you could bake the entire pan and reheat: or prepare the wets and dries separately and refrigerate overnight, keeping the carrots in a separate container, and then mix them and bake the next morning.)
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Baked steel cut oatmeal, Baked Oatmeal, Steel Cut Oatmeal, Carrot Cake Oatmeal, Brunch Recipes